Just days after the Government put fuel duty up by 1p a litre, fuel prices have hit a record average of £1.20p a litre and experts warned the price could rocket to £1.50p this summer due to the weak pound and increased cost of wholesale fuel.

In an industry where fuel constitutes an enormous part of every haulage company’s overheads, the fuel duty increase is affecting all areas of the industry around the UK.

Haulage companies are not happy with the recent fuel duty increase

Tony Burriedge, from Lancashire, set up his own haulage company 12 months ago and is now being forced to abandon his business as petrol and diesel prices have rocketed recently.

He said: “I am officially packing it in at the end of this week. I can’t afford to run with the prices people are paying. We are still fighting competition from Europe where they have cheaper fuel, we just can’t compete with them.”

Andrew Spence, a farmer, who led Fuel Lobby protesters at the Shell UK plant in Jarrow in both 2000 and 2005, warned that angry haulage companies are prepared to launch action and make petrol prices a political issue once again.

The 42-year-old, who also runs a haulage business in Durham said feelings were running high in the haulage industry and blockades could be back before the General Election.

Shiply has reached another historic milestone: we have more than 10,000 transport providers now registered on the site.

This means whatever you are moving, whether a dining table, a car you are bidding on eBay or belongings to your new home, on Shiply there are a huge number of transport companies who can fulfil your needs.

This is apparently how delivery services are carried out in many countries around the world (masters of logistics is the title of the video). Somehow we think perhaps there is no insurance involved!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

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As heavy rain and snow continued to hammer Scotland during the Easter break, some farmers have turned to local haulage companies to help get their sheep under cover and provide a dry place to shelter and lamb.

Livestock wagons and trailers are being used as temporary accommodation for sheep during this harsh weather condition and the National Farmer Union (NFU) is suggesting farmers to contact local hauliers for help with sheltering.

Scottish farmers are turning to local hauliers for help with sheltering their sheep

Sandy Tulloch, chairman of NFU’s Less Favoured Areas Committee said :”The haulage industry may have a role in helping producers out the hole they are in. It may be worth any sheep farmer, for the price of a phone call, contacting their local haulier to see if they have a trailer available that could help them get their stock out of the weather and, hopefully, get their ewes and lambs on their feet.”

We at Shiply are wondering whether any Scotland couriers on Shiply offered to help your local farmers shelter their sheep. If you did, please share your stories, we believe everyone is interested to know.

Fedex has shown its strong commitment to eco-friendly transport by putting four zero-emissions electric delivery trucks to the demanding Los Angeles delivery circuit.

The company also claimed to be the first amongst its U.S. courier service competitors to put all-electric trucks to work. However, there is not yet a title for the truck as it will not officially enter service until June 2010.

Fedex’s electric delivery trucks will be tested in LA for their reliability

Mitch Jackson, vice president of environmental affairs and sustainability for Fedex said: “Eletric trucks are still their infancy, but we think they have a bright future in the mix of alternative energy vehicles.”

Way back in 2004, Fedex has already shown strong leadership in eco-friendly shipping solutions when it introduced hybrid-electric commercial trucks which currently total 1,400 worldwide.

We hope that you have all enjoyed seeing Shiply’s new look which was launched on Tuesday 30th. After months of careful work and planning we were delighted to show off the new design to all Shiply members.

Jeremy Fisher, a haulage driver of Greeenroyd, Greetland, has been helping heart-attack victims by giving immediate care to people struck down by cardiac arrest in Calderdale.

Jeremy volunteers to be a community first responder, which means he is often the first on the scene to assist people in Greetland who suffer heart attacks.

After five years involved in the service, Mr. Fisher estimated that the number of lives he has saved runs into double figures.

Jeremy has saved many people’s lives as a community first responder

His contributions have been recently recognised by Yorkshire Ambulance Service with a James Lee award, an accolade celebrating the achievements of Yorkshire’s community first responders.

Jeremy said after the award ceremony at Leeds United’s stadium: “I was pleased and shocked to receive the award. I had no idea before the night that I would win so it was a great surprise. I’m a lorry driver by profession but I volunteer whenever I get the chance. It’s definitely the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.”

Please learn from this trucker’s experience: never drive your truck home early as you just never know…

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

With an increasing number of users listing their home removal requests through Shiply, we believe the following tips will be useful to you.

1. List your request correctly

Since removal companies’ quotes are mainly based on the type of required service and inventory lists, getting these details right is very important.

After your shipment is listed, click on the link to go to your listing and check whether all details are correct, especially the inventory list.

If you have missed something, click on the link Edit Your Shipment to edit it straight away, as if you edit after a removal company has placed a bid, you will have to decline their bid first.

2. Keep contact

As home removals are rather a complex job, removal companies bidding for your work might need to ask you several questions. Every time they post a question, you will be notified via email so if you can, try to answer them as quickly as you can and the more information you provide to the removal company, the more accurate their quote will be.

3. Choosing the right removal company

Shiply has a very useful feedback system with comments left by previous customers for a transport provider. This is the first thing you need to look at when choosing a removal company.

Clicking on their name will take you to their profile page with a snapshot about their company, their feedback rating and feedback left by their customers.

While a company snapshot gives you a basic idea about the removal company, this information is subjective and needs to be verified should you want to.

A company with a high feedback score and feedback rating is often a sign of a reliable transport provider. Have a look through previous feedback they received, especially those from home removal shipment listings.

4. Agree on important details before bid acceptance

To make sure both yourself and the removal company are happy to proceed with a shipment, it is important that you discuss and agree with the removal company on the most relevant details such as date and time, location, removal type, vehicles used, manpower involved before accepting their bid.

5. Communicate and cooperate after bid acceptance

Once a bid is accepted, contact information will be exchanged between yourself and the removal company. They normally get in contact quickly but you can also contact them to facilitate the process.

Communication and cooperation between you and the removal company are the key factors to ensure a successful house move. A removal company normally has lots of experience with home removals, so feel free to ask them for any advice in preparing for your house move.

Alternatively, you can also have a look at our home removal guides here (under Articles section):

http://www.shiply.com/home-removal-firms/

This video, is absolutely shocking!

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This stunning video footage was taken by passengers in another car on the A1 near Wetherby, West Yorkshire.

How the Renault Clio came to be trapped under the bumper of this lorry, which belongs to Arclid Transport, a Cheshire based haulage company and why the driver didn’t spot it is still a mystery.

A spokesman for Arclid Transport said: “I’ve no idea if the video is genuine. We’re actually doing an internal investigation at the moment.”